Freedom of information

Under The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) you have a general right of access to all types of ‘recorded’ information held by public authorities.

When you ask us for information under FOIA, we have to:

Confirm or deny that we hold the information requested

Acknowledge your request within five working days

Give you the information you have asked for within 20 working days of receiving your request

Provide you with a ‘reasonable’ level of assistance to gain access to our information

Inform you of the exemption that applies if we are not releasing the information you want

Advise you how to appeal if you are not satisfied with our response.

Please note that in rare cases, where we calculate that it will cost more than £450 to collate and provide the information you have requested, we may decline to provide the information. In such cases we work out the costs and issue a Fees Notice to you. If you pay the fee within 3 months, we will then provide the information.

If you have any questions regarding FOI contact our Freedom of Information Coordinator by emailing foi@syfire.gov.uk . Please ask for assistance if you have any difficulty in formulating or making an application.

Publication scheme

Under FOIA, we also have to publish a Publication Scheme. This sets out the classes of information we hold, what we routinely publish and where, and whether a charge will be made for the type of information. Quite a lot of information about us is available elsewhere on this website, so before you submit an FOI request, please check out our Publication Scheme, as you may find the information you want without needing to make a specific request.